The Sky is Born Anew
by Wordsmith8
Summary: Short series of drabbles from the point of view of Elizabeth following the newest addition to the Phantomhive family. Mostly angst
1. Chapter 1

Before setting his one eye on the bundle that was currently swaddled lovingly in his arms, Earl Ciel Phantomhive believed he would never feel affection again.

That month had destroyed him, painted his body in black tar that clung to his frame like a second skin, squeezing and choking until every drop of saccharine sweetness was spent and nothing but the empty shell remained. Though the years had worn away the wounds that decorated his pale flesh, anger still burned hot and bright in his veins and hatred wormed its merry way into his hardened heart, now black as coal.

And yet, when looking down upon two wide cerulean eyes identical to his own, the Earl found it difficult not to smile.

The boy let out an infantine gurgle and clutched at the offending corner of blanket tucked gently around his face, opening and closing tiny fingers as if testing their ability. Ciel watched, entirely awestruck as the child squirmed and giggled, blinking those beautiful eyes and melting his father's heart.

Ciel's own eyes tore themselves away from his precious load to look at his wife reclining exhaustedly in their bed. Elizabeth smiled softly, the morning sun illuminating golden hair and glistening sweat on her brow. No words were spoken, but the expression of wonder on the Earl's face was enough. Ciel gazed back down at the boy, marvelling once more at the resemblance between them.

The blue eyes were his, but he had his mother's nose and curly golden hair that caught the light of the rising sun filtering in through the wide windows. His pudgy cheeks were rosy and dotted with freckles and rosebud lips puckered each time his tiny tongue darted out.

Ciel's heartbeat thrummed in his ears and he suddenly felt hot and uncomfortable in his own skin. Taking a few steps away from the bed, he approached the cradle they had set up in the room and carefully set the child down in the sea of plush blankets that lined the bottom and sides of the wooden structure.

"Alexis Midford Phantomhive"

His own voice startled him.

"My father's name…"

The hoarse whisper of his wife reached his ears from across the room.

"Yes, it seems only proper. Your father was a good man, our son will have big shoes to fill."

The smile that erupted on the tired woman's face lit up the room better than the sun.

Ciel crossed the room and stopped at her side, kneeling down beside the bed and taking her hand in his.

"He will be Alexis Midford Phantomhive and he will have only the best in this world. No harm will ever come to him, of that I will make sure."

Elizabeth smiled again.

"And he will have the best father to protect him."

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 **A/N: Hola, long time no see! Just thought I'd write this bit of fluff. I'm thinking of making this a little series, a couple snapshots into the later life of the Phantomhives (and of course, I will eventually include everyone's favourite demon butler). Hope you enjoyed! Feel free to leave a review, thanks for reading!**

 **Wordsmith8**


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: Kuro ain't mine**

"Alexis, do _not_ touch that!"

The voice of an exasperated countess Phantomhive cut sharply through the clamor of the party.

Her demure pink dress rustled across the floor as she attempted to catch the little boy toddling about the ballroom, golden curls bouncing behind him as he beheld the sights and sounds of the gathering.

"Sorry, sorry- Alexis! Come here at once!"

The countess struggled and fought her way through the crowd, searching frantically for her wayward son before finally spotting him marvelling at the coattails of a young man.

"Alexis!"

The boy turned for a moment to shoot his mother a toothy grin before disappearing once more into the fray.

Exhausted and fed up, Elizabeth paused to mop her glistening brow with a handkerchief. As she did so, her eyes caught sight of her husband.

His deep blue coat stood out among the dun-coloured suits of the men that surrounded him, making him look like a prized sapphire ready to be plucked from a pile of ash. She watched as he smiled easily with his companions, delicate fingers clutching a dainty glass full to the brim with untasted champaign. The glasses of the others however were empty and constantly in need of refilling. As her weary eyes ghosted over the scene, a flurry of motion caught her eye.

There was Alexis, stumbling over his own tiny feet to where his father was standing.

Elizabeth's heart dropped.

He had specifically asked her to keep their boy occupied and out of his way during the event. As if it wasn't bad enough little Alexis had been wreaking havoc since the first few guests walked in; now he was about to wander innocently into a situation where he wasn't wanted.

Picking up her skirts once more, she rushed over to the scene just as the toddler latched himself onto his father's leg.

"I'm so sorry, he really means no harm."

Annoyed murmurs surrounded her as she stooped to pick the boy up. He squirmed and wriggled in her arms, crying out for his father as onlookers gawked at the scene. Elizabeth was grateful for the swelling vibrato of the strings that aided in hiding the sound of her heart beating against her ribs. She turned once more to apologise to the group, but the cold look from her husband choked the words bubbling in her throat. Ducking her head apologetically, she backed out of the group and bolted up the stairs.

Alexis began to cry as his mother set him forcefully down into his bed.

"Just stay quiet a moment, will you? As you can probably tell, father is already very cross with us and will be even more so if we make any more noise."

The boy struggled and fought, seemingly crying even louder to spite her.

"Really darling, you cannot go on screaming like this."

Alexis rolled away from her grip, desperately reaching for the door.

Sighing, Elizabeth reached for the chair in front of the vanity and sat it in front of her son's bed, easing her tired body into the plush seat, back facing the door.

"Love, quiet down now. Remember how father reacted last time this happened? He was very angry, and we should really stop making it a habit."

The boy whimpered and swallowed his sobs as his mother gently scooped him into her lap, humming softly.

"Perhaps your father would stop being so cross if he'd stop fussing over his work and graced us with his presence once in a while."

Elizabeth shook herself.

"But I'm sure he does his very best."

Her voice cracked dangerously and she set the now sleeping boy in his bed before the tears gathering at the corners of her eyes could fall.

"Lady Elizabeth, the party is missing you."

She turned, surprised to see the face of the queen's butler Charles Grey.

"I was just returning, Alexis was being a bother."

The earl frowned, taking a few steps into the room.

"Your son is never a bother, my Lady. And neither are you for that matter."

She smiled.

"Thank you, although I find it slightly improper of an English gentleman to follow a lady upstairs without her knowledge."

He laughed and made a mock bow.

"I apologise, my Lady. It truly was indecorous behavior on my part."

It was then that Alexis stirred and Elizabeth motioned to her companion to leave the room. Once she'd closed the door behind them, she turned to face him again.

"To the party?"

Elizabeth smiled and took the earl's arm.

"Let's."

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	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: Kuro is not mine**

"We ought to celebrate, Ciel."

The earl raised his head from his paperwork to meet the eyes of his wife who was sitting on the floor of the study playing with Alexis.

He sighed.

"That's quite alright, I've gotten too old for parties and such as it is, they are unimportant"

Elizabeth laughed at the statement, rising to her feet to join him by the desk.

"Old? Love, you're only twenty-three and your birthday is _extremely_ important to both myself and Alexis"

He gave her an annoyed look and took up his pen once more, reaching to dip it into the inkwell.

Elizabeth was quicker.

Her nimble digits reached the well before his, snatching it off the desk and holding it teasingly above his nose.

"Then I suppose you're also too old for _games_ "

Ciel's eyes glittered in amusement.

"That depends. What sort of game do you have in mind?"

Elizabeth beamed triumphantly at having gained his full attention.

"Let's play chess. If I win, we celebrate and if you win, we don't. Do we have a deal?"

Ciel considered this for a moment, and then smiled.

"Yes"

Paperwork forgotten, the two set up the chess set and began to play.

"You _do_ remember how to play, right? It's been such a long time since you've taken a break from work that perhaps the rules have slipped-

The miffed look on Ciel's face was enough to send Elizabeth into a fit of giggles.

"Mama!"

The sudden cry of their son startled them both.

Alexis was crawling on all fours over to the little table, one of his many toys gripped tightly in his mouth.

"Come sit with me Alexis, we're going to beat your father at his favourite game"

Sitting snugly in his mother's lap, Alexis watched his parents' hands move the pieces around the board, mesmerized by the little pawns and marble board. Occasionally, he'd reach out little fingers to retrieve one of the treasures with the intention of examining it further, however his mother's chiding tone was always the invisible barrier between his grasp and the game.

Elizabeth planted a kiss on the crown of Alexis' head, eyes flitting from the pieces before her to the sooty locks of her husband. She traced the creases in his forehead, noticing that even as he relaxed his face, the marks remained. Darkness had collected under his eye and a sallow look clung to already gaunt cheeks. Her gaze shifted to the hands clasped in his lap. Thin veins could be seen through the skin, marking the pathways of blood through the seemingly bloodless man before her. As the sun began to sink below the horizon and blue light enveloped the study, Elizabeth watched as her husband, clad in navy blue as he so often was, became almost indiscernible from the rest of the room.

He was right, Ciel Phantomhive had aged.

"When did you grow old, darling?"

Ciel lifted his head from their game.

"Since I placed the Phantomhive ring on my finger"

Elizabeth's breath hitched in her throat. The man across from her smiled resignedly, calm and collected as he always was, watching unknowingly as his wife struggled to control her emotions.

"If this is about your being the watchdog, I've told you-

"No, it's not. I cannot- I _will_ not abandon my duty as watchdog of the queen, you know that."

His voice had taken on familiar iron undertones and his lone eye trailed just over her shoulder.

Elizabeth stood, Alexis in her arms.

"Will you abandon your family then?"

He started, surprised by the sudden firmness in her voice. He opened his mouth to speak, but closed it again, staring down at the unfinished game in defeat.

"Well, it doesn't much matter whether you will or you won't. I know who I married and what that entailed. But know this; your family will _not_ abandon you."

With that, she made for the door, stopping as her hand reached the doorknob.

" _I will not abandon you_ "

The earl raised his head at her final words before she exited the room, his eye clouded with confusion and gratitude.

"Well then my lord, will we be having a birthday party?"

Ciel's gaze whipped behind him to where the voice of his butler emanated.

There, standing just in the shadow of one of the many bookcases was his butler, calmly awaiting his lord's answer with a grin spreading from ear to ear.

"How long have you been standing there?"

The question was threatening, but the butler only grinned wider and stepped away from the shadows to stand before his master.

"Long enough, my lord"

"Get out"

"I apologise if my behaviour is uncouth, but you have yet to answer my question"

" _Get out_ "

The demon's lips drew back, revealing gleaming fangs.

"It must feel so _very nice_ to have a wife like Lady Elizabeth. Didn't you hear her words on the way out? I believe she said-

"Watch yourself _demon_. You've grown bold these past few years, but I still hold the end of your leash, never forget that. Your presence isn't wanted, as I have explicitly expressed. Now, Get. Out."

Ciel was standing now, facing the beast with his back straight and head held aloft. The demon's eyes flashed before he bowed gracefully and moved to exit the room.

Before the sigh the earl was holding could be released, the devil spoke again.

"You are quite the hypocrite, my lord"

Ciel turned to glare at him.

"How so?"

A grin.

"You certainly seem to crave my presence in the lonely hours of the night"

Ciel watched, heartbeat hammering in his chest as the demon exited the study.

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 **A/N: ANGST TO THE MAX! Wow, this escalated quickly. Idk, maybe the next one will be less sad. Thank you for reading!**

 **Wordsmith8**


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: Kuro is noooot miiiiine~**

Elizabeth inhaled deeply, allowing the cool scent of the forest to wash over her senses. Dappled sunlight broke through the thick canopy of leaves overhead, creating spotty patterns on the ground under her horse's hooves and lighting the path ahead of her. The only sound that could be heard was the sighing of the trees as a soft spring breeze passed through the grove.

As she rode, the path opened up into a brightly lit clearing in which two familiar figures stood.

"Mother, look! I'm doing it!"

Elizabeth laughed as Alexis wriggled excitedly on the saddle of his pony. Gently nudging the side of her own snowy white horse, she rode over to her son.

"Yes, you're doing wonderfully! Now remember what Grandma Frances taught you; have a firm grip on the reins at all times and make sure that you're the one in control, alright?"

Alexis nodded vigorously, taking hold of the leather reins resting in his lap. His gaze wandered over to his father who was kneeling by his side.

"Is the saddle all proper now father?"

Ciel looked up at the child and smiled.

"Yes, you're all ready to go. Be careful Alexis."

Rising to his feet, Ciel watched as his son gingerly nudged the speckled animal to the right, a look of pure concentration on his cherubic features. With another nudge, he brought the horse into a slow gallop and made his way further into the forest.

Elizabeth looked down at her husband and found that his smile still lingered on his lips.

"Let's go after him"

Ciel nodded his agreement and mounted his chocolate brown horse. Together, they followed their son into the forest.

They rode in silence, each listening intently for any sounds of distress ahead of them where Alexis' silhouette flitted in and out of view.

"He's growing up so quickly, don't you think?"

Ciel's comment took her by surprise. She turned her head and smiled.

"Yes, I suppose. Perhaps if you spent a little more time with him, the years would slow down"

Her tone wasn't malicious and only held a hint of gentle chiding. She knew that he would understand. He nodded, eyes slightly downcast as they plodded along. A little ways ahead, Alexis' laughter could be heard, high and clear as mountain air.

"He does miss you"

Ciel allowed a small, sad smile creep onto his lips. He offered no verbal response, but Elizabeth could see the remorse in his crystalline blue eye. Silence took over once more. Elizabeth busied herself with naming the many flowers that crawled along the forest floor, trying to recall their English and Latin names. As they rode, the light green foliage became dark where the sun could no longer reach it through the tangled leaves overhead and the call of birds seemed a distant memory. Elizabeth guessed they had reached near halfway through the forest. Growing bored with observing flowers, she decided to instead listen for her son.

She pulled her horse to a halt when nothing could be heard.

"Ciel"

At the call of his name and the frightened look in her jade green eyes, her husband took off at a gallop in the direction their son had been travelling. She followed hurriedly, still desperately trying to listen for any sign of her boy over the frantic beating of her hurried heart.

Noticing the path opening up once more, Elizabeth brought her horse into a canter and sped out from the thicket, golden hair flying past her flushed cheeks.

What she saw brought a relieved smile to her face.

There, in the middle of the bright clearing was Alexis, grinning and pointing at a large pond of clear opalescent water. Beside him stood Ciel, clearly as relieved as she. Elizabeth rode over to them and dismounted gracefully.

"You frightened me! I thought something horrible had happened"

Her voice was shaky from the sudden exertion and panic. She let out a light laugh.

"Don't worry mother, I'm fine. Look at this place, isn't it wonderful?"

Elizabeth smiled as he gestured to the clearing. A few trees were circled around the pond, leaning over it as though whispering to one another about the strange visitors. Tall grasses swished in the breeze and ruffled her now unkempt hair. She grinned.

"Yes, it is quite nice"

"May I go sit by the water?"

"Well-

"I'll sit with him"

Elizabeth turned her attention to her husband.

She hesitated.

"It's like you said, Lizzy. I'll spend more time with him from now on"

Alexis had already taken off to the pond and stood, waving his arms frantically at his parents.

"Of course"

Ciel smiled, a genuine smile that reached his eye and showed dazzling white teeth. He leaned over and gently kissed her forehead before walking briskly over to the pond to join Alexis.

For the rest of the afternoon, Elizabeth found that she could not wipe the smile off her face.

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 **A/N: I thought that after all that angst, the Phantomhives needed some happy times together. I can't promise that it will last though! I'm thinking that there will only be two more chapters after this one. We shall see what will happen! Thank you for reading, leave a review if your heart so desires, and have a WonDerFul day/night/afternoon tea/Narnia.**

 **Wordsmith8**


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: Cats are nice (and Kuro still isn't mine)**

" _Ah, toi belle hirondelle, qui vole ici"_

The midday sun poured down over the field, shedding light in every corner where previously shadows reigned. A breeze drifted lazily over the land, carrying the scent of perfumed gardens of English nobles and their soft-spoken wives. With the constant swirl of wind ran a little boy, golden hair cascading in perfect ringlets about his thin shoulders. Pink lips parted in delight, the blue-eyed child giggled and gasped his way across the moor after the ever-distant bird that chirped and swooped its merry way ahead of him. A little distance away strolled the boy's mother, removed yet watchful.

" _As-tu vu dans ces îles mon Alexis?"_

Elizabeth hummed quietly, an old tune she'd heard once.

" _Va-t'en lui parler à l'oreille de mes amours"_

The distance between them grew greater and greater the farther the bird flew, yet the boy paid no mind.

She quickened her pace.

"Alexis, come back love"

Her voice carried out to her son, causing him to pause with a smile and begin the run back to his mother's side. Elizabeth watched as the grin grew wider on his face the closer he became, sensing the pure joy that radiated from his form.

"Mother, did you see that bird? I almost caught it!"

The eight-year old was panting and rocked on his heels as he stood before her, barely able to contain his excitement.

"Yes, you really did almost catch it. Come, walk with me love"

Alexis nodded and took her outstretched hand.

" _Je resterai sage et fidèle pour son retour"_

"Mother, what are you singing?"

Green eyes met blue.

"Just something I remember from a trip I once took with your father"

"Will you teach it to me?"

"It's in French darling"

"But I'm learning that, too!"

Elizabeth laughed.

"Yes, I'd forgotten"

" _L'oiseau qu'est tout amiable prit sa volée"_

They walked in silence for a while, both enjoying the peacefulness that surrounded them.

Suddenly, Alexis cried out.

"Look, I see it again! May I go chase it mother?"

"Yes, but be cautious. I don't think we've ever walked this far out here, there might be private property."

The boy, too excited to listen, bolted the moment he'd heard her agree. Elizabeth laughed again as he reached out wildly, trying to capture the bird in his pudgy hands.

" _Dans son léger plumage sans est allé"_

She remembered the day they had all gone out together on horseback, the love she'd felt for her husband and the affection he had seemed to return. Then, she recalled all the other times they'd ventured out as a family, remembered the cold detachedness with which he'd spoken to her and their son. Her beautiful husband, her thorny rose. He had brushed them aside since that day in the woods, turned them away as though they were nothing to him. If only she'd known that once he'd gotten what he needed; a child to carry on the Phantomhive name…

" _Traversant les mers et les terres sans s'y lasser"_

And the damn butler, the one that had seemingly swallowed up the boy she'd once known, had taken her beloved husband from her and held him in a vice-like grip, close to his rotted, black core.

" _Tout droit sur le mât du navire s'est reposé"_

And still, she stayed.

Alexis had almost disappeared from her sight, his form but a dot on the horizon.

For their son, she stayed.

" _Je te salut la belle salut à toi"_

Her heart ached for the boy. She pleaded with Ciel to spend time with Alexis, hoped that somehow, he would hear her and stop ignoring the person that needed him most.

Of course, he never did.

Elizabeth shook herself from her reverie and paused, scanning the moor again for her son.

She stood, shielding her eyes and squinting at the expanse of land that stretched on.

"Alexis?"

Her call garnered no response.

She was brought back once more to the day in the woods, felt once again the panic of losing sight of her precious boy.

" _Ton petit coeur en gage donne le moi"_

She quickened her pace, still searching.

" _Je suis parti pour un voyage dans les longs cours"_

Her humming became coarse and ragged as she began to run, picking up her skirts as she went.

" _Je te donnerai de mes nouvelles à mon retour"_

Then she saw it.

There, where she'd last seen Alexis, was a ridge, and just below the ridge, a stream.

Elizabeth's breath caught in her throat.

She stepped up onto the ridge and peered over the edge, down at the very bottom where the sound of rushing water could be heard.

What she saw tore an anguished cry from her throat.

Snagged on a jagged rock was her son, body bloodied and beaten from the fall, bird clutched in his right hand.

 _À mon retour, à mon retour_

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 **A/N: Angst, angst and more angst. You have my sincerest apologies. The song is a traditional French-Canadian song, 'Ah toi belle hirondelle' and is in NO WAY MINE. The song is pretty much about a lady that is waiting for her sweetheart to come back to her, so she's talking to the bird and asking it if it has seen him. It's meant to be a romantic relationship, but I figured that it could be interpreted differently to fit Elizabeth's love for her son and her wish for him to come back to her. Anyway, the end is nigh! The next chapter will be the last in this little series. I know, I've been pretty horrible with updating and whatnot, but thanks for stickin' with me!**

 **Wordsmith8**


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N: (Kuro is still not mine) Last installment of the series! Enjoy!**

 _I can't breathe_

Her pacing steps were as irregular as her heartbeat.

 _I can't breathe_

She heard faint whispering behind the door of the study. Ciel had disappeared into the room with the doctor four hours ago and had not exited since. She was denied entry.

 _I can't-_

The image of her son, her beautiful boy, lying prone and bleeding at the bottom of the ridge raced through her mind. She remembered a scream; shrill and broken. She remembered being dragged away from the scene, remembered clawing desperately at her captor, telling him to _let her go._

 _-Breathe_

Through her hysteria, she had seen them lift her baby out of the stream.

His legs were broken from the fall and hung loose and swinging over the men's arms as they carried him. Scarlet blood pooled over his chest and abdomen and had begun to run down his pale arms, spiralling out in rivulets and dripping onto the windswept grass. A wide gash on his head oozed more blood which caught in his golden locks, causing the strands to stick to his shattered skull and angry purple bruises had begun to bloom, some opening up into deep cuts. He was entirely crushed, fragmented, _mutilated_.

But what tore an anguished cry from her throat were his _eyes._

She had become blissfully accustomed to the unfaltering warmth that continuously radiated from those eyes. They had never been tainted by hate or fear, had never felt pain or loss. Aristocratic businessmen that visited the manor to meet with her husband would pause in their coarse whispers and fake smiles to marvel at those eyes and say in varying haughty drawls, ' _my! Those peepers are just like your father's!'_ And Elizabeth would simply smile the same fake smiles they sported and respond with a polite nod, silently agreeing to disagree. In her mind, the only similarity was the colour. While Ciel's gaze held the power and blistering cold of a snowstorm, Alexis' mirrored the open sky.

The eyes that had stared back at her as the men carried Alexis away were blank and emotionless and couldn't seem to focus on anything. They flicked around warily, confusion and mild fear beginning to cloud their depths as more and more people gathered around. Not an ounce of recognition had sparked as he stared into the pained gaze of his mother.

A wave of nausea hit her at the memory. She could handle blood and gore; she'd seen it all. Her fencing training and her mother's teachings had made her strong. She had prepared herself well for the difficulties of being the wife of the queen's guard dog and had always assumed she'd be able to protect those she loved from those that wished to harm them.

How foolish she'd been.

The whispering inside the study had begun to rise in volume. She heard Ciel's voice, determined and sure, issuing muffled orders to the doctor whose meek tone betrayed the truthfulness of the sincerity behind mumbled reassurances. There was a sudden, sharp rustle of papers which she supposed came from a toppled stack of documents and a frustrated plethora of insults and demands that no doubt came from her husband. The doctor's reply was inaudible, although she guessed, unsatisfactory as another crash issued from the room. There was a short period of silence before Ciel's voice sounded again, a tone of finality clinging to his words. Fearful footsteps pattered towards the door.

The doctor emerged in a flurry, face blotchy and panicked as he struggled to pack his instruments into his briefcase and simultaneously keep his spectacles perched on his hooked nose. Elizabeth craned her neck to see inside, but he had closed the door before she could catch a glimpse of her son. He nodded to her sheepishly and made to escape her stony gaze, but she had him cornered before he could do so.

"How is he?"

"Pardon?"

"Alexis, how is he?"

The doctor paused, gaping like a fish as she stared him down. He spluttered and adjusted his overcoat.

"Quite well"

"It doesn't seem that way"

He fiddled absently with the clasp of the briefcase and edged away from her.

"Ah, from my professional perspective-

"Whatever my husband has told you to say or not to say, forget it. You _will_ tell me the truth"

"Lord Phantomhive has _specifically_ asked me-

"And _I_ am Lady Phantomhive, and I am asking you to-

She stopped speaking abruptly as the door to the study opened again to reveal a disheveled Ciel. As she stared at him, the doctor slipped away and bolted for the stairs.

Elizabeth barely noticed his hasty departure. She was transfixed by the defeated weariness that her husband exuded. Without a word, she hurried past him and entered the room.

The curtains hung heavy over the windows, plunging the study into suffocating darkness. The large desk that usually occupied the center of the room had been pushed haphazardly to the side in order to accommodate a makeshift bed for Alexis. Wet cloths and bloodied bandages lay strewn across the floor along with obscure healing ointments and salves of all colours. The smell of blood, sweat and worry tainted the air. Elizabeth padded softly over to the bed where shallow breathing could be heard. She kicked aside the bandages and knelt by her son.

His eyes were closed, puffy lips parted as he slept. From here, she could see the extent of the damage from his fall. Both legs were splinted and bound in filmy gauze. His chest was covered in a slimy green paste that smelled faintly of basil and thyme, and his face had been wiped clean of the blood that trickled from his skull. Part of his hair had been sheared clean off to better treat the wounds that covered the back of his skull and the same paste had been applied just under the bandages. The cuts that littered his arms and face had been clumsily sewn shut, giving him the appearance of a broken doll. The sight brought tears to her tired eyes.

"If he survives, the doctor says he'll never walk again"

She stood and turned to face her husband. His voice was quiet and devoid of emotion.

" _When_ he survives"

The conviction in her voice was unwavering. Ciel gave her a watery smile that she didn't return.

She stood there for a while, staring down at the one person that had made her life worth living, and wondered if it couldn't have been _her_ that fell instead.

She knelt down again. Ciel's footsteps echoed in the silence as he joined her.

"Elizabeth…"

She didn't look at him. If she did, he would see her tears.

"There's nothing we can do for him"

She convulsed angrily at his words. Still not looking at him, she replied.

"You've given up already?"

"No, but you must see reason"

"I will not give up on my son"

Elizabeth could tell he'd sensed the certitude in her words. She heard him breathe deeply before he spoke again.

"When I am gone, he will inherit everything; the mansion, the servants and the title. The danger that accompanies that title is very real, and I worry that my crippled son won't be able to-

She whipped her head around to face him so fast that the muscles in her neck were set ablaze.

"Won't be able to protect himself, or won't be able to live up to your family name?"

Elizabeth knew Ciel prided himself on his ability to hide his true emotions and intentions, however it only took a moment, a brief flash of hesitancy that swam in his eyes to send sparks of raw fury into her heart.

She stood abruptly and made for the door.

"Elizabeth-

"No"

"Lizzy-

He followed her out of the study and into the hall, calling her name all the while. When she'd reached the foyer, she swiveled on her heels, strode up to the man she'd married and slapped him.

Utterly baffled by her actions, he cradled his reddened cheek and was silent.

"I've given everything. Since the day I walked down that aisle, I have dedicated my existence to you and your work. I allowed you to treat me like the dirt under your shoes because I loved you and I believed that somewhere, deep down, you loved me too. When Alexis was born, I thought it would get better. I foolishly thought you would become the loving father to our child. I'll admit, you had your moments of tenderness, but for the most part, both Alexis and I fell far from the top of your list of priorities."

She took a menacing step towards him.

"And now, when he needs you the most, you dare suggest that he isn't good enough to carry on your name."

Ciel seemed to have recovered slightly from her outburst.

"I was speaking to Sebastian, and he'd suggested that perhaps it would be for the best if-

"Oh, Well isn't your damn _butler_ a clever one. You shut me out for four hours while my son is in critical condition and have the gall to discuss matters with _him_ instead of me."

She took a shuddering breath and continued.

"Well, I've had quite enough of this. Expect a carriage to arrive for Alexis by noon tomorrow."

With that, she turned away from him and, stopping to take her coat from the rack, made for the door.

"I thought you said you would stay by my side"

Elizabeth glanced over her shoulder.

"And I thought you said you loved me"

In a whirl of soft pink and gold, and a flash of fire in jade-green eyes, Elizabeth left, the door clicking resolutely behind her.

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 **A/N: Thank you so much for reading! I really enjoyed writing this last bit, and I hope you enjoyed it as well. Feel free to leave a review! Until next time,**

 **Wordsmith8**


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